<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Lifelong Vow by LyriaBlackFrost</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398105">Lifelong Vow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost'>LyriaBlackFrost</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Kitsune and His Human [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Fluff, Kitsune Kitagawa Yusuke, M/M, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:41:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,846</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryuji’s mother starts to realize that there is something unusual about her son’s pet fox.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakamoto Ryuji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Kitsune and His Human [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lifelong Vow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Here is part three, requested by Old... who already requested a part four too. When will my suffering come to an end? <strike>Just kidding, these fics are really fun to write</strike></p>
<p>I hope you like it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sometimes, living in Ryuji’s home could be very distressing for Yusuke. He had to be cautious around humans, to make sure they didn’t uncover his true identity as a Kitsune. Maybe that would be an easier task if he lived alone with Ryuji, but since they shared that house with his mother, it made things much more difficult.</p>
<p>It hadn’t always been like that… In the beginning, Aoi Sakamoto treated him as a simple pet, and didn’t seem to think too much about where he had come from. She was as kind and caring as her son, and took care of Yusuke when Ryuji wasn’t around. Yusuke quickly became used to her presence, and started to feel more relaxed when she was at home.</p>
<p>That was possibly the reason why he became careless…</p>
<p>“Is your fox… painting…?”</p>
<p>Both Ryuji and Yusuke looked at her confused face. Yusuke frequently painted his artworks in his fox form, and Ryuji had even covered the corner of his bedroom with newspaper for him to immerse himself in his passion without the fear of ruining the floor and furniture. It became such a common occurrence for them that, at some point, both of them forgot about how strange that scene would be to other humans.</p>
<p>There was their unfortunate reminder.</p>
<p>“Ah, yeah…” Ryuji forced a nervous laugh. “He really likes it… I mean, paint, an’ all that…”</p>
<p>Yusuke adored Ryuji with his entire being, but that had been a terrible excuse. Aoi approached Yusuke, who tried—in vain—to hide his work with his small body. She took a long look at his painting, furrowing her brow.</p>
<p>“It looks… really good,” she murmured.</p>
<p>“Doesn’t it?” Ryuji’s voice was too cheerful to sound natural. “Yusu is really smart.”</p>
<p>Aoi considered it for a while.</p>
<p>“Sweetheart…” she said. “Isn’t your fox <em>too</em> smart?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” answered Ryuji. “I’m proud of him.”</p>
<p>“Are foxes supposed to paint artworks this good, though?”</p>
<p>“I guess Yusu is just very talented.”</p>
<p>His answer only seemed to increase Aoi’s suspicion.</p>
<p>“Do you think it ran away from a circus?” she asked.</p>
<p>Ryuji hesitated a little, as if unsure of what the best answer would be.</p>
<p>“I don’t think so…”</p>
<p>“How did it learn to do things like this, then?” insisted Aoi.</p>
<p>“No idea.”</p>
<p>The two of them went silent for a while, Aoi thinking about the situation, while Ryuji was clearly panicking inside.</p>
<p>“Maybe it has an owner already, who taught it how to do tricks like this,” she suggested after a while. “If that’s the case, shouldn’t we try to find its real owner? They must be worried sick.”</p>
<p>Yusuke growled at that suggestion, running to Ryuji and jumping on his lap. Ryuji hugged him close to his chest, caressing his head.</p>
<p>“I don’t know…” said Ryuji. “He seems pretty happy here.”</p>
<p>Aoi observed the two of them for a while, then let out a small sigh.</p>
<p>“Ryu, darling…” she said. “I know you got attached to it, but we need to think of what is best for the poor little thing.”</p>
<p>Ryuji lowered his gaze, uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“Well, yeah…” he said. “I mean, if I saw someone looking for him, I’d give him back an’ all that. But if we post about him on the internet, someone could pretend to be his owner to sell him or something.”</p>
<p>“That’s true…” admitted Aoi. “What a complicated situation.”</p>
<p>Yusuke looked at Ryuji, trying to silently convey that he didn’t want to go anywhere. Ryuji slightly tightened his hug.</p>
<p>“I’ll just take care of him for now,” he said. “If we find out that he has an owner, then we’ll talk to them, and do what’s best for Yusu.”</p>
<p>“Maybe that’s a good idea,” agreed Aoi. “At least it seems to be pretty attached to you already.”</p>
<p>“Right?”</p>
<p>Yusuke relaxed, raising his snout to briefly lick Ryuji’s chin. Aoi looked at them for a moment.</p>
<p>“You know…” she said. “Sometimes, I feel like it can understand what we’re saying.”</p>
<p>“Yeah…” agreed Ryuji with a small laugh. “I’ve got the same feeling. It’s kinda funny.”</p>
<p>She thought for a moment, her eyes still on Yusuke.</p>
<p>“Yes…” she finally said. “Yes, it is.”</p>
<p>Despite her words, it took her a little longer to look away from Yusuke and back to Ryuji.</p>
<p>“Well, I’ll go take a shower before dinner,” she said.</p>
<p>“Alright,” answered Ryuji. “I’ll go after you.”</p>
<p>With that brief exchange, she left the bedroom. Ryuji let out a low, relieved sigh, letting go of Yusuke, who jumped off his lap. When they heard the sound of the shower being turned on, Yusuke changed into his human form.</p>
<p>“She is suspicious of me,” he said.</p>
<p>Ryuji shook his head.</p>
<p>“She’s still pretty sure that you’re a fox, though,” he said. “She’s just surprised that you can do so much stuff. Foxes are pretty smart, but I don’t think they can paint and stuff like this.”</p>
<p>“I suppose not.” Yusuke hesitated a little, unhappy with that outcome. “Should I stop it?”</p>
<p>“Nah, it’s fine,” answered Ryuji. “But we should be a little more careful from now on.”</p>
<p>Yusuke lowered his gaze, still uncomfortable with the situation.</p>
<p>“Am I giving you trouble?” he asked in a low voice.</p>
<p>Ryuji looked at him for a moment, then got up from his chair, reaching for Yusuke’s head to caress his hair.</p>
<p>“Not at all,” he said in a reassuring tone. “Don’t worry.”</p>
<p>“But… I was supposed to help you, not make you worry.”</p>
<p>“Yusu, it’s fine,” insisted Ryuji, offering him a smile. “Besides, I like having you around.”</p>
<p>His words were enough to ease Yusuke’s worries, replacing them with a feeling of contentment.</p>
<p>“Do you?” he asked.</p>
<p>Ryuji laughed.</p>
<p>“Isn’t that obvious?” He opened his arms, gesturing for Yusuke to approach. “Come here.”</p>
<p>Yusuke did as he said, hugging him tightly while Ryuji caressed his back.</p>
<p>“You silly little thing,” said Ryuji.</p>
<p>It was curious to Yusuke how Ryuji called him “little” despite his human form being at least a head taller than him. Still, his voice was so full of fondness that Yusuke could find it nothing but endearing.</p>
<p>Aoi came out of the shower a few minutes later, and Ryuji left the bedroom to take his turn. Yusuke waited on Ryuji’s bed, just resting for a while in his fox form. He could still hear the sound of the shower when the door to the bedroom was opened, startling him. Aoi entered the room in her sleepwear, approaching him, crouching on the floor beside the bed, staring at his face. Unsure of what else to do, Yusuke stared back. Aoi narrowed her eyes.</p>
<p>“You can understand me, can’t you?” she asked in a low voice.</p>
<p>Yusuke instinctively looked away from her. Realizing that the reaction was probably suspicious, he scratched his lower back with his teeth, as any common fox would do.</p>
<p>“You’re not a normal fox…” Aoi murmured, for his dismay. “Foxes can’t paint like that, no matter how smart they are.”</p>
<p>He pretended he couldn’t understand her words. Aoi reached for him, holding him under his front paws and lifting his body in front of her.</p>
<p>“What are you hiding, little one?” she asked. “I hope it’s nothing mischievous.”</p>
<p>He let out a small whimper, and slowly Aoi’s suspicious expression softened into a smile.</p>
<p>“But aren’t you really cute?” she said. “No wonder Ryuji likes you so much…”</p>
<p>She let go of him, briefly caressing his fur before leaving the bedroom. When Ryuji came back, Yusuke chose not to tell him about that brief exchange: it would only increase his worries, and Yusuke didn’t want something like that. The two of them went to the kitchen, finding Aoi there, already starting to prepare dinner. Ryuji joined her, while Yusuke observed them from the floor.</p>
<p>It was a common thing for them to make dinner together, and their conversations were always amusing for Yusuke to hear. Strangely, sometimes he wished he could join them in those moments, not as a fox, but as a person. Obviously, he didn’t intend to do something like that. He had promised Ryuji that he wouldn’t reveal his true form to Aoi or his friends, and, other than that, he wouldn’t want to create a commotion among humans about the existence of demons—those things never ended up well for neither of their species.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The following weeks went by without any incident. Yusuke became more careful with his artworks, and did what he could to act as a common fox when he wasn’t alone with Ryuji. Aoi didn’t touch that subject again either, which was a relief. If everything stayed like that, the three of them could live a peaceful life together in that house.</p>
<p>However, Ryuji’s tests were quickly approaching, which also meant he spent most of his free time studying, and seemed to be constantly at the point of collapsing on the floor, for Yusuke’s despair. He was still trying to come to terms with how fragile human bodies were, and seeing Ryuji stay awake until late at night, resting much less than he should, was enough to leave him constantly anxious about his human’s health.</p>
<p>That night, instead of allowing Ryuji to do as he wanted and stay awake until almost morning, Yusuke approached him, placing his hands on his shoulders.</p>
<p>“Ryuji…” he said. “You should rest now.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’ll go soon.”</p>
<p>“Not soon.” Yusuke insisted in a gentle, but firm tone. “You should rest now.”</p>
<p>Ryuji looked at him, seeming about to protest. Yusuke lightly pressed his shoulders.</p>
<p>“There is no point in pushing yourself this far if it affects your health,” he said. “Neglecting your needs like this might even affect your capacity to learn.”</p>
<p>His words made Ryuji close his mouth, lowering his gaze.</p>
<p>“I know,” he muttered.</p>
<p>Yusuke knew by his tone that he had won that argument. He smiled to himself, sliding his arms around Ryuji’s neck, giving him a brief hug before moving away, receiving a low giggle and a pat on his arm in return.</p>
<p>“Come,” said Yusuke. “That’s enough for today.”</p>
<p>“Alright.”</p>
<p>Following Yusuke’s advice, Ryuji changed into his sleepwear and soon got into bed. Yusuke carefully tucked him in, watching with some amusement how quickly he fell asleep. The smile on his face soon faded, though: no matter how many times Ryuji told him not to worry so much, it was stronger than him. Sometimes, he wished he could just take him somewhere safe and protect him from all the dangers of his world. But, of course, he couldn’t do something like that. So, his only option was to take care of him in any way he could. He observed Ryuji for a while, thinking of what else he could do.</p>
<p>Ryuji had been in low spirits because of the exhaustion and the anxiety caused by his studies… There was little Yusuke could do to ease his burdens, but maybe he could do something to cheer him up, instead. It was late at night, and Aoi was already asleep, so he changed into his human form, quietly making his way to the kitchen. He had learned a bit about human cooking from watching Ryuji, and was pretty confident that he could make a simple recipe. Something tasty for him to eat on the next day.</p>
<p>With that in mind, Yusuke took the ingredients and tools necessary to cook, which soon proved to be a terrible mistake.</p>
<p>Ryuji made cooking human food look like a trivial—and even fun—task. Yet, when Yusuke tried to mimic him, the result was nothing but a catastrophe. He smashed two eggs before he finally managed to—almost—properly break one, and the vegetables he cut had big and crude shapes, unlike the thin slices he was so used to seeing. When he tried to cook the ingredients, a strong smell of burning charcoal came out of the mixture, and, afraid of accidentally setting his house on fire, Yusuke turned out the stove, observing that failure of a dish for a long while.</p>
<p>
  <em>What a disgrace…</em>
</p>
<p>He let out a long, disappointed sigh. Cooking had been a terrible idea… He should probably clean that mess and try to think of something else he could do before morning came. He started by throwing that foul dish on the trashcan, then took all the utensils to the sink to clean them, getting rid of all traces of his failure. <em>What would Ryuji think of him if he saw that? A demon who was unable to replicate something he did with so much ease! It would be better if he never learned about—</em></p>
<p>“Ryu?”</p>
<p>That voice startled Yusuke, making him look behind him, to a barely-awake Aoi.</p>
<p>“Is everything alright?” she asked with a sleepy voice. “I felt a strange—”</p>
<p>As soon as her eyes fell upon him, she screamed, taking a step back.</p>
<p>“Ryuji!” she called in a loud voice. “There’s a man in our house!”</p>
<p>Panicking, Yusuke instinctively changed into his fox form, hiding under the cabinet. Aoi screamed again. In a moment, Ryuji was beside her, looking around in a mix of concern and confusion.</p>
<p>“What happened?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Your fox!” answered Aoi, indicating Yusuke with a gesture. “Ryuji, your fox is a man!”</p>
<p>Ryuji stared at her, clearly unable to think of a response.</p>
<p>“Ah… No…?” he said. “Pretty sure he’s just a fox…”</p>
<p>“I saw it!” insisted Aoi. “It changed into a fox before you arrived! Could it be a demon?” Aoi stopped talking, widening her eyes. “Ryu… I think a demon was trying to steal your soul!”</p>
<p>“I don’t think he—”</p>
<p>Before Ryuji could say anything else, Aoi reached for the nearest object—a broom—raising it with both hands above her head.</p>
<p>“Stay back, sweetie…” she said. “I’ll take care of it.”</p>
<p>“Mom, no!”</p>
<p>Ryuji tried to stop her, but in a second she was already in front of the cabinet, with a strong murderous intent surrounding her—which was more than enough to affect the survival instincts of his fox mind. Yusuke tried to run away from the kitchen, but Aoi’s broom hit the floor in front of him, making him quickly retreat, hiding under the table.</p>
<p>“Come back here, you cursed demon!” She yelled, yanking the chairs one by one from their place. “I’ll send you back to where you came from!”</p>
<p>Yusuke froze in fear, unable to run away. Before she could hit him, however, Ryuji got between her and Yusuke, holding her broom with both hands</p>
<p>“Mom, stop!” he yelled. “Yusuke ain’t a dangerous demon!”</p>
<p>His words made Aoi stop, staring at him. Silence filled the kitchen, as Aoi tried to make sense of that situation.</p>
<p>“You knew about this?” she asked.</p>
<p>Ryuji lowered his gaze, seeming a little embarrassed.</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>Aoi blinked, still lost.</p>
<p>“You… brought a demon inside our house…?”</p>
<p>“Yeah…” Ryuji raised both hands in front of his body, gesturing frantically as he continued. “But I swear he ain’t a bad one! He’s just… repaying me for a favor.”</p>
<p>“A favor?”</p>
<p>Ryuji nodded.</p>
<p>“I shielded him from the rain years ago,” he explained. “It also saved one of his paintings, so now he wants to repay me by protecting me.”</p>
<p>“I…”</p>
<p>Aoi tried to speak, but no words left her mouth. Yusuke’s strong fear slowly left him, enough for him to be able to change back into his human form. It didn’t seem to make Aoi feel any better.</p>
<p>“I apologize for hiding my true identity.” He tried to sound calm and polite. “I didn’t mean to scare you. What Ryuji said is the truth, I am simply trying to repay him for his kindness.”</p>
<p>She didn’t answer for a long while, then raised her hand, pointing her finger at his chest.</p>
<p>“You better not have any funny ideas…” she said. “If you try to steal Ryuji’s soul, I’ll follow you to the demon world and make you regret it!”</p>
<p>“Please, don’t,” asked Yusuke. “You would die.”</p>
<p>Ryuji sighed, facing his mother, placing his hands on her shoulders.</p>
<p>“Mom,” he said, “Yusu ain’t gonna steal my soul.”</p>
<p>“Of course not,” agreed Yusuke. “I would never take anything from Ryuji that he didn’t willingly give me.”</p>
<p>Aoi furrowed her brow.</p>
<p>“He is trying to trick you!” she said.</p>
<p>“That ain’t what he meant!”</p>
<p>Ryuji looked at Yusuke, clearly in need of help. Yusuke took a step forward, looking Aoi in the eyes before proceeding.</p>
<p>“Forgive me if my words sound strange, but I still find it difficult to express myself to humans.” He made a brief pause, trying to find the proper words. “Please, rest assured that I would never do anything to harm your son. Ryuji is very precious to me, so I want nothing but to stay by his side, and keep him safe and happy for his entire life.”</p>
<p>Aoi stared blankly at him for a long while, as if the situation was too much for her to fully comprehend. Then, she turned her gaze back to Ryuji.</p>
<p>“Are you engaged to this demon?”</p>
<p>“No!” Ryuji yelled back in surprise. “It… It ain’t like that!”</p>
<p>Yusuke nodded.</p>
<p>“Yes, it is closer to a lifelong vow…”</p>
<p>“That ain’t helping, Yusu…” Ryuji let out a heavy sigh before facing Aoi again. “No, mom… We ain’t like that. We’re just really close…” He made a pause, furrowing his brow, proceeding in a lower voice. “Really close…”</p>
<p>“Ah… Alright,” answered Aoi, mechanically. “Alright, then.”</p>
<p>The two of them spent a long time silently staring at the table, and Yusuke was starting to worry that some unexpected ailment had affected their frail human bodies when Aoi finally spoke again.</p>
<p>“I think I need some time to digest all this…”</p>
<p>“I know…” muttered Ryuji in response. “Sorry for hiding it from you. I just didn’t want you to worry.”</p>
<p>Aoi looked at him with a slightly hurt expression.</p>
<p>“Ryu…” she said. “Of course I would get worried, but that doesn’t mean you should hide things from me. Especially not something…” She glanced at Yusuke, shifting uncomfortably in the same place. “Something so important to you.”</p>
<p>Ryuji didn’t answer, and Aoi moved closer to him, caressing his hair before gently pulling him into a hug.</p>
<p>“Don’t do something like this again, alright?” she asked in a low voice. “It doesn’t matter what it is… If it involves you, I want to know.”</p>
<p>“Sorry…” he said. “But I was scared of telling you.”</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<p>Neither of them said anything else for a long while, and Yusuke didn’t interrupt them, waiting patiently until they finally moved away from each other. Aoi looked at him once again, still cautious, but now free of that murderous intent from before.</p>
<p>“Well, I…” She pressed her lips into a line, thinking for a second before proceeding. “I suppose we…”</p>
<p>She stopped again, struggling with the words before giving up with an exhausted sigh.</p>
<p>“I should probably go back to bed…” she said. “We can talk about this tomorrow.”</p>
<p>Yusuke agreed. Before she left the kitchen, however, Ryuji placed a hand on her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Mom…” he said. “Yusuke really just wants to help, so… You don’t need to worry about him.”</p>
<p>“I know, sweetheart,” she said. “But this is too much information to process at once.”</p>
<p>“And, mom…?” Ryuji hesitated a little, then showed her a tiny smile. “Thanks for trying to understand. I love you.”</p>
<p>His words made Aoi smile as well.</p>
<p>“I love you too, sweetie.”</p>
<p>She walked away, leaving Ryuji and Yusuke alone in the kitchen. Ryuji turned to face him, and the way he looked more tired than angry filled Yusuke’s chest with regret. Yusuke kneeled on the floor, lowering his head.</p>
<p>“My sincere apologies,” he said. “It was careless of me to be seen like this. I’ll accept any consequences to my actions that you see fit.”</p>
<p>Ryuji crouched in front of him, holding his shoulders, making him raise his torso again.</p>
<p>“Stop it, Yusu,” he said. “You don’t need to do this.”</p>
<p>Yusuke raised his eyes, meeting Ryuji’s gaze. Ryuji was the first to look away, and it only confirmed to Yusuke that, despite his words, he was still bothered by the situation—of course he would be. Part of Yusuke even expected Ryuji to want to put an end to their contract and send him away after such a thing.</p>
<p>“Why did you come to the kitchen in the middle of the night?” asked Ryuji, instead.</p>
<p>Despite how humiliating it was to admit such a thing, Yusuke was honest in his response, telling Ryuji about his failed attempt of cooking something for him. Ryuji heard his entire explanation without interrupting. When Yusuke was finished, he let out a long sigh, reaching for his head, gently patting it.</p>
<p>“You’re unbelievable…” he murmured.</p>
<p>Yusuke wasn’t expecting that kind touch, but it wasn’t enough to free him from his anxiety and guilt.</p>
<p>“Do you think you can forgive me for my behavior?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Of course.” Ryuji lowered his gaze. “But you shouldn’t have risked yourself like that. What if someone that wasn’t my mom saw you?”</p>
<p>Now that everything had already happened, he could see how foolish he had been. He was so worried about Ryuji, and trying to keep him healthy and happy, that he became imprudent about everything else.</p>
<p>“I know…” he muttered, ashamed. “I truly regret my actions. I will find a way to compensate you for—”</p>
<p>He stopped talking when he felt Ryuji’s hand on his cheek. He lifted Yusuke’s face until their eyes met, then offered him a reassuring smile.</p>
<p>“It’s alright, Yusu,” he said. “I know you didn’t mean it… Besides, I worried you too, didn’t I?”</p>
<p>Yusuke hesitated a little before nodding.</p>
<p>“I don’t want you to become ill from overworking yourself,” he said. “I’m constantly scared of something happening to you because I allowed you to push yourself too far.”</p>
<p>Ryuji stayed silent for a while.</p>
<p>“I see…” he said. “Sorry for worrying you. I’ll try to rest better from now on.”</p>
<p>“You shouldn’t be the one apologizing…” protested Yusuke.</p>
<p>“No, this only happened because we both did some dumb shit.” He let out a small laugh. “Let’s just try not to do something like this again, alright?”</p>
<p>Yusuke nodded a second time. Despite his kind words, he knew Ryuji was still nervous about everything that happened, and that thought weighed in his chest. A strange sensation he couldn’t name—partially guilt and concern, but also other feelings he couldn’t recognize properly—overcame him, and, without thinking, he pulled Ryuji close, hugging him.</p>
<p>“I am sorry,” he repeated. “I truly am.”</p>
<p>“I know,” answered Ryuji, caressing his hair. “I got really scared too… But things will be fine. I’m sure mom will understand.”</p>
<p>For the following minutes, Yusuke was unable to move away from him. He didn’t know of what he was scared of—or if that feeling was even fear—but he simply couldn’t bear the thought of letting go. Ryuji didn’t say anything else, simply rubbing his back until he started to calm down.</p>
<p>“It’s alright now, Yusu,” he said.</p>
<p>Yusuke moved away, looking at his face.</p>
<p>“I wish I could at least have made something good for you,” he said. “I feel like this was all for nothing.” Yusuke averted his gaze. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m very talented when it comes to human culinary. If I tried again, I would probably only cause you more trouble.”</p>
<p>“If you want, I could teach you how to cook a few things sometime.”</p>
<p>Ryuji’s suggestion surprised him.</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t it be a problem for you?” he asked.</p>
<p>“‘Course not.”</p>
<p>As soon as he said that, Ryuji let out a long yawn.</p>
<p>“Damn, I’m tired…” he said.</p>
<p>“That’s because you barely had any sleep these past few days,” answered Yusuke. “We should go back to your bedroom now.”</p>
<p>“Yeah…” agreed Ryuji. “I could fall asleep right here.”</p>
<p>Those words made Yusuke lean forward, holding Ryuji by the shoulders to keep him on his feet.</p>
<p>“Don’t do it!” he said. “Sleeping in such a rough and cold place will be harmful to your frail human body.”</p>
<p>To his surprise, his words made Ryuji laugh.</p>
<p>“I was just joking,” he said, patting Yusuke’s arm. “Come on… let’s go back to bed.”</p>
<p>Yusuke agreed, but still kept his hands on Ryuji’s shoulders—just in case. He guided Ryuji to his bed, then, when he was comfortable over the mattress, Yusuke lied down beside him. That wasn’t an unusual thing for them to do, but, for some reason, that night it made Ryuji look at him, seeming slightly uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“Hey, Yusu…” he said. “Now that I think about it, ain’t it a little weird that we do stuff like this?”</p>
<p>That question took him by surprise.</p>
<p>“Why should it be?” he asked. “We are both content with it, are we not?”</p>
<p>“I… I guess.”</p>
<p>Ryuji didn’t say anything else, but it was clear that he was still uncomfortable. Yusuke couldn’t really understand what was going through his mind—human emotions were still a complicated subject to him—but he had a feeling that he should do something about that. He glanced at that small bed Ryuji had given him, then sat on the mattress, calling Ryuji’s attention.</p>
<p>“Where are you going?”</p>
<p>“I want to sleep on my bed today,” explained Yusuke.</p>
<p>“You sure?”</p>
<p>Yusuke offered him a smile, caressing Ryuji’s hair the same way he so often did to Yusuke.</p>
<p>“I am,” he said in a low voice. “Sleep well.”</p>
<p>He stood up, then changed into his fox form, lying on that soft cushion. It was very comfortable, but he had become used to Ryuji’s warmth beside him. It would be a little strange to spend the night on his own again.</p>
<p>“Hey, Yusu…”</p>
<p>Ryuji’s voice called his attention. Yusuke looked at him, meeting his warm smile.</p>
<p>“Sleep well.”</p>
<p>Part of Yusuke wanted to go back to his side, but he didn’t, curling into a ball and closing his eyes. He tried to relax, but there was something slightly painful inside of him that wouldn’t allow him to. Probably the guilt from the problems he caused…</p>
<p>
  <em>No, it was different.</em>
</p>
<p>Maybe the embarrassment of his failure…</p>
<p>
  <em>No, it wasn’t that either.</em>
</p>
<p>Or maybe he was…</p>
<p>His mind went blank. He could recognize an emotion, different from all the others, but, at the same time, it was unrecognizable to him. He couldn’t say if it was bad or good, or a little bit of both… the only thing he knew for sure was that it was connected to Ryuji, and how much Yusuke wanted to be beside him at that moment—and how much, at the same time, he wanted to keep his distance, because he knew that being close would cause him pain.</p>
<p>Yusuke sighed. The most frustrating part of it all was being unable to put a name to how he felt.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Ryuji woke up a little earlier on the next day, and, after cleaning the mess from the previous night, prepared breakfast together with Yusuke, who still had some difficulty with that apparently simple task. Still, Ryuji was patient with him, to which Yusuke was grateful.</p>
<p>When they were almost finished, Aoi Sakamoto joined them in the kitchen. Her first reaction upon seeing Yusuke was to widen her eyes, surprised.</p>
<p>“So… It wasn’t a dream,” he murmured.</p>
<p>Yusuke faced her, still feeling guilty for what had happened before. He briefly bowed his head to her.</p>
<p>“I apologize again for yesterday,” he said.</p>
<p>Aoi seemed unsure of how to react for a while, but ended up dismissing his apology with a gesture.</p>
<p>“Well… It’s in the past now,” she said. “Let’s start again, shall we?”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath, looking Yusuke in the eyes, showing a friendly smile.</p>
<p>“Nice to meet you.” She offered her hand to him. “I am Aoi Sakamoto, Ryuji’s mother.”</p>
<p>Still unused to human greetings—there seemed to be an infinite number of variations to them—Yusuke held her hand between his two.</p>
<p>“Yusuke Kitagawa,” he answered, “a Kitsune at the service of your son, Ryuji Sakamoto. The pleasure is mine.”</p>
<p>Aoi looked from Yusuke’s face to their hands, and he immediately knew that he had, once again, chosen the wrong gesture.</p>
<p>“I think I still need some time to get used to this…” she murmured.</p>
<p>“Well,” said Ryuji, “we’ve got a lot of time for that.”</p>
<p>“I guess so…”</p>
<p>She sat on one of the chairs while Ryuji placed the dishes on the table. Aoi commented on the quantity of food, and Ryuji answered that he was teaching Yusuke how to cook. Surprisingly, after that, the conversation flowed pretty well, with Aoi asking him about his first—technically second—experience in the kitchen, while Yusuke described it in full detail. Ryuji watched them with a soft smile on his face, and that sight was enough to fill Yusuke’s chest with conflicting feelings of restlessness and peace.</p>
<p>But it didn’t matter. As long as he had that smile on his face, Yusuke wouldn’t wish for anything else.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>How are these two not together yet? Well... I guess they're both a little slow when it comes to feelings. :')</p>
<p>Please, forgive me if I let some typos or mistakes slip during revision. I've been sleeping really badly these past two weeks and my head is working at 20% of its full capacity.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>